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“Mr. Godoy proposed to me.”
The words hang in the air like a bomb waiting to detonate.
Mrs. Evans face transforms, unfiltered shock evident on her face.
“What? How? Why?” she asks in rapid fire.
I pass my hands up and down my legs a couple of times, trying to come up with the words to explain this shitshow.
“He said his father told him he had to be married before the next planting season if he wanted to be in charge of their vineyard and their assets.”
Mrs. Evans’s eyes almost bulge out, she looks comical. “But that wasn’t part of the deal,” she says. “I wonder what changed?”
I stay silent, waiting for her to process this information. I can see the wheels turning in her brain.
“This is all too convoluted. Why would he ask you to marry him? Unless…”
She trails off, and I open my eyes as I raise my eyebrows, trying to make her talk.
“Well, dear. Mr. Godoy is not an impulsive man. He must have seen something in you that made him feel safe to ask you such a big task.”
This gives me pause. Could it be that he admires me as he implied? But I haven’t accomplished anything, compared to what he has.
I shake the thoughts away before I continue sharing with Mrs. Evans all the reasons why I think this isn’t a good idea.
“I really don’t know. All I know is that I couldn’t do something like this to Ava,” I whisper her name as I check on her again, but she’s completely focused on her drawing. “Imagine I marry him, Ava thinks she has a father, and then he asks for a divorce. How can I tell my daughter everything was a farce, and I did it for money.” I shake my hand as I imagine the disappointment and heartbreak my little Ava would feel.
“But did he specifically say you had to get a divorce? You don’t think you can fall in love with him? Many arranged marriages turn out to be true, healthy relationships.”
I gape at her. Is she honestly suggesting that a relationship between Vicente and I could work?
I understand he’s been getting me all hot and bothered, but that must be a normal physical reaction after being celibate for so long.
There’s no way something between us could work. We come from different worlds, not to mention we don’t know each other.
“What? Is he that ugly? Does he still mistreat you?”
I look away, and I hear her chuckle.
“That’s what I thought.” She gets up from the sofa and stands in front of me. “I can’t tell you what to do because it’s not my life that’s about to change, but I would definitely give it a good, honest thought. It’s not every day that a man like Vicente sets his eyes on a girl and decides to give her everything she deserves and more.
“Go out with him, Camila. See if there’s chemistry between you. I’ll happily stay with the little one.”
She gives me a kind smile and kisses Ava’s forehead before heading out.
My mind drifts back to everything he made me feel while sitting so close to me on the sofa yesterday. There’s definitely a pull between us. But would it be enough to make his family believe we’re a real couple?
Did his father say anything about a fake marriage?
Ugh, so many questions, so little time.
“Mummy, Mummy. Can we go to the park again today?” Ava asks excitedly.
I sigh, remembering what I always tell myself: there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to see her smile.
Maybe a walk in the park will help me clear my thoughts.
“Good morning, Mr. Godoy,” I say as he walks into my office.